Judge to give verdict in trial of man who admitted to killing four women in Winnipeg

A judge is scheduled to give his decision today in the first-degree murder trial of a man who admitted to killing four women in Winnipeg.

A judge is scheduled to give his decision today in the first-degree murder trial of a man who admitted to killing four women in Winnipeg.

Lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki argue he should be found not criminally responsible and say he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the slayings in 2022.

But Crown prosecutors say he had the mental capacity and awareness to commit and cover up the killings.

They have characterized the killings as racially motivated and say the 37-year-old targeted the Indigenous women at homeless shelters.

The case sparked calls for governments and organizations to address the ongoing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

A first-degree murder verdict would carry an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, while a finding of not criminally responsible means Skibicki would be detained in a hospital until a review board determines he is no longer a threat to the public.

The weeks-long trial heard from two forensic psychiatrists who presented opposing motivations for the slayings of the four women: Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; Rebecca Contois, 24; and an unidentified woman an Indigenous grassroots community has named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.